dan o'donohue, bbc news. nowher with darren. hello there. storm darragh is heading into western parts of the uk this afternoon, but things will take a turn for the worse overnight and into saturday. it's then that we have this red wind warning from the met office, meaning a danger to life. the winds are going to be gusting 90 miles an hour across western and southern parts of wales through the bristol channel. the warning is from 3:00 tomorrow morning to 11:00 on saturday morning. and as well as a danger to life, there's going to be some travel disruption. there may be some power cuts and there'll be some large and dangerous waves as well. it's all happening out in the atlantic, but getting closer to us, that area of cloud deepening into this area of low pressure and that is storm dara bringing some wet and windy weather already into some western parts of the uk and pushing into cooler air. temperatures are not going to be as high as they were yesterday. as follow the track of the storm, it's going to push right

hello, i'm ben brown, welcome to bbc news now, welcome to bbc news now.s of thousands of people are fleeing syria's third biggest city homs, fearing that islamist—led rebels will capture it in the latest stage of their surprise offensive. the rebel advance southwards has been as rapid as it has been unexpected with as many as 280,000 people displaced in little over a week. first the rebels seized aleppo in the north, forces beat a retreat, they took hama and now they're reported to be just five kilometres from the outskirts of homs. if they can capture the country's third city, the rebels could cut off the main road leading from damascus to the syrian coast. this footage shows how the rebels — seen here in hama — have been advancing almost unopposed into key syrian cities, although the government of bashar al—assad says it has been launching air strikes against them. the syrian conflict has largely been frozen since 2020, when a ceasefire brokered by russia and turkey de—escalated the fighting between syrian rebels and president assad's forces. the lightn

around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. nowmaking headlines in the uk. the first victims of the contaminated blood scandal will receive final compensation payments in the coming days. ten people have been offered compensation totalling more than £13 million. nearly £12 billion has been set aside to compensate the 32,000 people are contracted hiv and hepatitis from contaminated blood products in the 19705 and 19805. about 3000 people died after being given tho5e product. england's nhs direct 5ay5 product. england's nhs direct say5 ho5pital5 product. england's nhs direct say5 hospitals are being hit by a tidal wave of flu and other winter viru5e5. nhs figures show nearly 1900 hospital beds were taken up by flu patients every day last week, up 70% from the week before which is more than three times the figure at this point last year. a body has been found in the search for former england rugby player tom voyce who went missing in an area flooded during storm darragh. police fear the 43—year—old died after trying to cross the road

and tributes are paid to the veteran bbc radio dj johnnie walker, who has died at the age of 79. now on bbc newsno other. first the king, then the princess of wales diagnosed with cancer. this, of course, came as a huge shock, and william and i have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately

now. your live with bbc news.fficially begin a two—day state visit to the uk, hosted by the king. we can show you these live pictures from horse guards parade. we are expecting the ceremony to get under way. he will be welcomed by king charles, also present will be the prince and princess of wales. queen camilla will unfortunately miss this event as she is still recovering from as she is still recovering from a lingering chest infection. she will take part in other events later on today at buckingham palace. we can see they are in the middle of the shot, that is the prime minister sir keir starmer, arriving. next to him is the foreign secretary, david lammy. we can cross straight to buckingham palace and speak to my colleague, kasia madera. you join us at buckingham palace wherejust you join us at buckingham palace where just further down the mall... because there is a sir keir starmer, and him, this is his first royal state visit as the leader of the united kingdom as prime minister, so for him, a critical trip,

hello, welcome to bbc news now, three hours of fast—moving news, interviews and reaction.ntable. it comes as rescue workers say they have ended

bbc news. around the world, and across the uk, this is bbc news. now to the middle east.njust over a week, six babies in gaza have died from the cold weather — that's according to hamas—controlled health authorities. with hundreds of thousands of displaced palestinians living in tents, and temperatures expected to drop further in the coming days. the news comes as a new report by the un says israel s attacks on hospitals in gaza have had a catastrophic effect on palestinians access to healthcare — raising serious concerns about war crimes and crimes against humanity. israel doesn't allow the bbc independent access into gaza but our correspondent emir nader has worked with two freelance camera operators in gaza who met families who've lost their loved ones. he's injersualem. it was again last night, a very cold night in gaza with winds and heavy rain. there are hundreds of thousands of gazans living in tents there in the gaza strip. and we've heard from the civil defence forces this morning, the first responders who say that whilst last night was a relatively quiet night i

around the world and across the uk, this is the world today on bbc news. now let's start to now l

welcome to bbc news now, three hours of fast—moving news, interviews and reaction.'s take you live to the bundestag in berlin as germany's political and economic crisis deepens. chancellor olaf scholz faces a vote of no confidence — it's a vote he wants to lose so as to trigger the process towards an early election in february, in the hope that he can weather a political crisis and win a second term. germany's coalition government collapsed last month after a row about spending, which led to the chancellor sacking his finance minister christian lindner. chancellor scholz is speaking now ahead of that vote. we'll bring the result live to you here on bbc news. and ahead of that, we'll get more analysis on the significance of this — notjust for germany, europe's largest economy, but on the impact for the continent. we will be talking about that throughout the day. let's now bring you right up to date about what is happening in mayotte. it's taken more than a day — but the scale of the disaster brought to the french overseas territory by cyclone chido is starting to eme

this is bbc news. now, it's time for a look at today's sport with 0lly foster. t influential players, bukayo saka has a torn hamstring and in the words of his manager mikel arteta, he'll be out for "many weeks" the england forward was forced off during saturday's win at crystal palace — and left selhurst park on crutches. it's a huge blow to the gunner's title hopes, saka has chipped in with nine goals and 13 assists across all competitions this season. they are six points behind leadersliverpool having played a game more. yeah, it's a huge one. he is a big playerfor us. you just have to see the impact he has on the team. it will be a really good exercise for all of us to think about ways to overcome another challenge because we already have a lot in the season. fast bowler kate cross is in the england squad for the women's ashes which starts in australia next month even though she hasn't fully recovered from the back strain that limited her involvement on the recent tour to south africa. she's made the white ball and test squads for the series which features thr

steve knibbs, bbc news. nownald trump have asked a new yorkjudge to completely dismiss the criminal case in which he was convicted of falsifying business records — to cover up payments to the adult film star, stormy daniels. our north america correspondent david willis has the details. donald trump was found guilty in may of falsifying business records in order to cover up a payment of $130,000 to the porn star stormy daniels. he was the first us president, former or current, to be convicted of a criminal offence. but following his re—election last month, sentencing in that case was postponed. now the district attorney, the prosecution, is calling for sentencing to be postponed until mr trump has served his second term in office. in other words, for another four years. but mr trump's lawyers want the case to be dismissed altogether. and in a motion to the court, they cited the decision by presidentjoe biden to pardon his son hunter as evidence that the criminaljustice system in this country is prone to political

bbc news. you're live with bbc news. nowary of the return of the former portuguese colony to chinese rule. the day began with a flag—raising ceremony at the city's lotus square, attended by macau's new leader, sam hou—fai, macau government ministers, and visiting chinese officials. speaking at the inauguration of macau's new government, president xi urged macau to play a bigger role on the international stage, and to innovate. the city is one of the world's biggest gambling centres, and it is regarded by china as a successful example of its "one country, two systems" model russia's president putin says he is ready for talks at "any "time" with the us president—elect donald trump. mr trump has vowed to bring the war with ukraine to a swift end, but has given few details on how he would achieve that. president putin was speaking at his lengthy end—of—year press conference — and our russia editor, steve rosenberg was there. it would have been hard not to notice vladimir putin today. his marathon, end—of—year event was live on a

welcome to bbc news now, three hours of fast—moving news, interviews and reaction.

dominic hughes, bbc news. now to the sport of motor—racing — but not as you know it! motorsport which is growing in popularity. originating in townships during the apartheid era, it involves driving cars at speed in circles and performing stunts in and out of the vehicles. thousands of fans attend meetings and it's now getting more investment and recognition — as bbc sport africa's ian williams has been finding out. it's obvious where spinning gets its name. burning rubber with eye catching stunts. it drives fans in south africa wild. when i saw spinning, i easily fell in love with the with the spinning sport. you're controlling a car that's not in control. sam tuben, better known as sam sam is one of the country's top spinners. so much so that red bull have recently signed him up to be their first spinning athlete. i was 12 years old when i started spinning, and my father is the one who bought the spinning car and he supported me. but at the same time, he used to be scared when i get in the car. i mean, like a 12—year—old kid who can't even reach the pedals. just lik

we will discuss all of that tonight on newsnight on bbc two, bbc news and iplayer. tonight on newsnight on bbc two, bbc news and iplayer-— nowg to work in the syrian capital damascus, three days after the fall of the assad regime. but many people across the country want to see revenge for the atrocities that happened under bashar al—assad's rule. today, rebel fighters broken into the tomb of the former president, hafez al—assad, bashar�*s father, in the family's hometown in north—western syria. images show a coffin and parts of the mausoleum on fire. and large crowds formed in a suburb of the capital damascus, for what they believed would be a public execution of one of the former president's henchmen. there are some disturbing images injeremy bowen's report. if only moving from dictatorship to freedom was as simple as climbing onto an abandoned tank and posing for pictures. but the assad family was in power in syria long before these children's parents were even born. over half a century, a lot of anger built up, and it is being released. sometimes politely by quiet families at the former president's home. it was looted aft

bbc news. stay with us on bbc news now. much more to come. hello.re is a change on the way for the start of the weekend. this weak frontal system pushes southwards and eastwards, and leaves us with a window of clearer skies and some sunshine for saturday, but that won't last. this warm front then shifts its way eastwards and introduces a lot of cloud once again for sunday. in many ways, we're back to square one. some misty, murky conditions, some damp conditions, but it is going to feel mild for the second half of the weekend. back to the here and now. this view is representative of the sort of weather we've got across many parts of the uk. thick clouds and misty murky conditions, spots of rain and drizzle. a few brighter glimpses here and there. temperatures generally stuck in single digits. but here comes our weather front. quite a weak front. the rain fizzling as it goes. but behind it, you can see the skies clearing. yes, some showers blowing into the north—west of the uk. wintry showers over high ground in northern scotland. and as that weather

hello, i m lucy grey welcome to bbc news now. we start with the extraordinary events in syria over

welcome to bbc news now, three hours of fast—moving news, interviews and reaction.ng republicans for pardoning his son, hunter, who was due to face sentencing this month on federal gun and tax convictions. the president gave him a full and unconditional, covering a decade, despite previously saying he would not interfere with the justice department's decisions. this was the president speaking injune this year. i'm extremely proud of my son hunter. he has overcome an addiction. he is one of the brightest, most decent men i know, and i am satisfied that i'm not going to do anything, i said i'd abide by thejury decision, i will do that

around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. now let's talk about jaguar.ot of questions and heated debate about just what the luxury car brand was thinking. and we got another insight when the company revealed its electric type 00 design in miami. branding controversies aside, the car maker has been struggling over the past decade and things could get tougher under incoming president donald trump if he imposes tariffs on imports. 0ur north america business correspondent ritika gupta has been talking to jaguar�*s managing director. jaguar unveiled its electric car concept in miami the backbone of its new identity and coming hot on the heels of and coming hot on the heels of a video teaser of the brand's makeover which was lambasted for being an extreme divergence from the british carmaker�*s heritage. but according to 1540 00:16:28,886 --> 0

around the world and across the uk this is bbc news. nowndeed. the england test captain will be out for at least three months after tearing his hamstring. he picked up the injury in the final test against new zealand last week and scans have now revealed the extent of the tear. he is going to have surgery next month. it is the same hamstring that he tore in august, it ruled him out for two months then. stokes had already been omitted from the squad next month for the champions trophy in february. england's next test is not until the one—off match against zimbabwe in may. that will be ben stoke's target. staying with cricket, the fast bowler is in the england squad for the women's ashes that starts in australia next month even though she has not fully recovered from the back strain that limited her involvement on the recent offer to south africa. there are 31 days, three t 20s she played in last year's theory that was a draw with australia, retaining the ashes. they have held those since 2015. england are going to give cross every chance to

bbc news. and the documentary imposter syndrome is available to watch now in the uk on bbc iplayer. h today and for many of us through the weekend. we have mist and fog and for some of us, the fog will linger all day especially over higher ground. high pressure keeping things largely dry and settled. this system causing problems over the north of scotland and with the pressure there from the atlantic, not much of a breeze to lift the cloud so it is pretty murky in central and southern areas, in particular some brighter, sunny skies. the rain sitting across the far north—west of scotland, temperatures 7 or 8 degrees. tonight, rain will extend across the north west of scotland, mist and fog forming especially in england and wales so saturday morning is murky for many. temperatures between 4 and 9 degrees. on saturday, another similar day for england and wales, some breaks in the cloud over higher ground. this waving front sits across central scotland and northern ireland, some brighter spells across the north of scotland bringing showers in the north—west, temperatures between 7—11 deg

hello, i m geeta guru—murthy, welcome to bbc news now, 3 hours of fast—moving news, a us government shutdownng. president—elect donald trump is mounting pressure on congress to pass a federal spending bill in an attempt to avoid the shutdown. the first attempt to pass such a bill was heavily defeated in congress but mr trump has since taken to social media to urge congress to scrap what's known as the debt ceiling, or extend it to 2029. this would mean there'd be no limit on the amount of money the us government can borrow to pay for services, such as social security, medicare and the military. but there are concerns that would make it more difficult to contain the country's budget deficit, which is how much a government's expendture exceeds its revenue by. in the us this has reached $1.8 trillion for the year 202a. 38 republicans voted against trump's efforts to suspend the federal debt limit for two years, and his

lizo mzimba, bbc news. now on bbc news, talking movies — review of 202a. hello from new york.ok and welcome to our talking movies review of the year in film in 202a. looking back at the year in cinema, there have been some high points and low points, but what did the movie—going public make of it all? my favourite film of 2024 was dune: part two. the visuals were remarkable. fly me to the moon with scarlett johansson and channing tatum. that one was a really good romcom. all of us strangers. i've never cried so much at a film in my life. - we loved wicked because it's all about friendship and two unlikely strangers meeting and becoming best friends. in our programme, a visit to auschwitz for the polish premiere of the oscar—winning the zone of interest. also, revisiting a french film classic at the time of the summer olympics... entertainment isjust about engagement. ..plus revelations from the british film—maker who won big at the oscars. earlier this year, the executive producer of talking movies asked me if i wanted to go to auschwitz to cover the polish premiere ofjonathan

hello, i m annita mcveigh, welcome to bbc news now, three hours of fast—moving news, interviews and reactionresident emmanuel macron has named francois bayrou as the country's next prime minister following the collapse of the

victoria gill, bbc news. now on bbc news, tecthlore: beyond the games.ore, we go in search of the most exciting innovations around the world. and this summer, for the paris 0lympics, i tracked down the ground—breaking technology pioneered behind the scenes. it's been an amazing event, and now i'm looking at the tech living on beyond the games. the sustainable innovations fit for the future... ..more precise tracking than ever before... the first i've done for television. ..game—changing new broadcast experiences... that's the magic of volumetric broadcasting. ..and a lasting legacy celebrating accessibility for all. join me for tecthlore paris — beyond the games. in 2024, all eyes were on paris. cheering the fans, the organisers and, above all, the athletes combined to pull off an amazing show — helped along the way by transformative technologies. paris 2024 was the largest spectacle ever to take place on french soil. in technology terms, its size means it's a unique test—bed. innovations developed in broadcasting, staging and sport all live on well beyo

bbc news, new york. lauren: now an achievement for ugandan runner who lives in london.t from cape town last july. after crossing two continents and more than 8000 miles later, he's made it back home after an extraordinary run. he ran across nine countries in africa, 11 more countries in europe, and finally reaching west london yesterday. we went to find out why he did it. [cheering] >> reunited with his mother, just in time for christmas. this was the moment he finally crossed the finish line in his home city of london yesterday after running the equivalent of more than 300 marathons in just under a year and a half. >> incredibly relieved to have finished. it was overwhelming to see my mom there. she want to do a kilometer to go to the finish line with me. doing that with her was beyond my expectations. >> he wanted to raise awareness about racism by highlighting the history of human migration from africa, in his words, to show that we all come from the same place. his journey took him through africa, across europe, and along the way, he endured racist abuse and several

you're live with bbc news. now reports say at least five journalists have been killed following an israeli air strike on a vehicle outside the al—awda hospital in the nuseirat refugee camp. videos that have not yet been verified by the bbc show a bus engulfed in flames — with the word �*press' written on the doors. we'll continue to monitor these developments and provide updates once more information becomes available. meanwhile, israeland hamas are blaming each other for the failure to reach a deal to end the war in gaza, and secure the release of hostages. hamas said israel was seeking new conditions while israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu accused the group of going back on previous agreements. on wednesday israeli defence minister israel katz paid a visit to the philadelphi corridor on the gaza—egypt border. while there — he insisted israel would not cede security control of the strategic corridor, a key sticking point in the negotiations. shaimaa khalil is in jerusalem with more. the ceasefire agreement

bbc news. thanks for being with us here on bbc news. nowfootball, and there are two matches in the premier league, and it's approaching full—time in one of them. after 83 minutes, it's 0—0 at the amex in the match between brighton and brentford, despite multiple chances for the home side. the other match between arsenal and ipswich, the second half is just getting under way. arsenal are beating ipswich 1—0 at the emirates. kai havertz tapping in from close quarters. we'll keep you up—to—date with both of those matches. manchester united head coach ruben amorim says he won't be protected from the sack if he fails to produce a winning team just because it was expensive to bring him to old trafford. he was booed at the final whistle of the 2—0 defeat by wolves at molineux on boxing day, leaving united 14th in the league. however, sources inside the club say there is support for amorim despite his poor start. five defeats in his first ten games is the worst record of any new united manager since the 1930s. the manager of manchester united canno

bbc news. returning now to the news that luigi mangione has appeared in a new york court today for the first timedence they claim, shows his attack was planned months in advance. joining me now is sarah krissoff, former us federal prosecutor and former assistant us attorney in the southern district of new york. your pretty familiar with that courthouse in new york, i believe. just walk us through the details, mangione and now facing new federal charges as well? . . , facing new federal charges as well? ., ., , ., facing new federal charges as well? ., ., ., , well? that was a really surprising _ well? that was a really surprising turn. - well? that was a really surprising turn. i- well? that was a really i surprising turn. i handled well? that was a really - surprising turn. i handled a lot of violent crime cases in this courthouse, prosecuting not quite this high profile of a case, but many murderers. and it was a very interesting turn of events to see the federal charges come down and really a tug—of—war between the state and the you're live with bbc news. returning now to the news that luigi m

you are watching bbc news. nown to the king's christmas speech in full again. drums roll. god save the king plays. earlier this year, as we commemorated the 80th anniversary of d—day, the queen and i had the enormous privilege of meeting, once again, the remarkable veterans of that very special generation, who gave of themselves so courageously on behalf of us all. listening to these once young servicemen and women touched us deeply, as they spoke of their comrades drawn from across the commonwealth, who never returned and who now rest peacefully where they made the ultimate sacrifice. their example of service and selflessness continues to inspire across the generations. during previous commemorations, we were able to console ourselves with the thought that these tragic events seldom happen in the modern era. but on this christmas day, we cannot help but think of those for whom the devastating effects of conflict, in the middle east, in central europe, in africa and elsewhere, pose a daily threat to so many people'

stay with us here on bbc news, we return you now to bbc news now, goodbye for now. welcome back.ter a trial that heard harrowing reports of her killing. in south—west london not what prosecutors say was a campaign of serious and repeated violence. our correspondent helen wilkinson has been touring the case at the old bailey. —— has been following the case. sara sharif loved to play the guitar. she was a confident girl. but last august she died. i killed my daughter. i killed my daughter. i killed my daughter. i killed my daughter-— i killed my daughter. i killed my daughter. more than a year after sara _ my daughter. more than a year after sara had _ my daughter. more than a year after sara had died, _ my daughter. more than a year after sara had died, her- my daughter. more than a year after sara had died, her father| after sara had died, herfather made the call to the police. mr; made the call to the police. my dau~hter made the call to the police. if’g’i daughter is dead. made the call to the police. my daughter is dead. who - made the call to the police. my daughter is dead.

this is bbc news. now it's time for a look at today's sport with gavin ra mjaun. p to speed with the football, on monday night, in the premier league. three big games to bring you. among them aston villa hosting brighton. and this man just can't stop scoring. not long under way, at old trafford, as manchester united look to turn around their poor form, against one of the league's in—form sides — newcastl, who are one up, thanks to alexander isak, scoring in his sixth consecutive game. aston villa hosting brighton, 0—1 there at villa park — simon adingra with the goal. both sides having slipped down the table in recent weeks. chelsea can move second with a victory at ipswich. 1—0 ipswich, liam delap's scored a penalty. chelsea and joao felix have had a goal dissallowed. ac milan have appointed sergio conceicao as their new manager, with the serie a side confirming the news in a statement in the last couple of hours. this comes after they sacked head coach paulo fonseca after just six months in charge. milan were held to a frustrating 1—all draw with roma on sunday,

and edinburgh's world—renowned hogmanay new year's eve celebrations are cancelled due to extreme weather forecast in the scottish capital. now on bbche largest land predator on earth. they call it the polar bear capital of the world. but it's so much more interesting than that. a place that's been defined by remoteness, beauty and danger. there's a bear there! it's crossing the road. we heard crackers going off, and now the polar bear alert team are moving around, so we're going to get back in the car. the bear was up on this deck here. it was testing the door. we don't want him going back to town. this place, its people and its polar bears now face an uncertain future. the longer they're on shore, the longer they're fasting and the longer they might need to start looking for

bbc news. it is just past 6:15pm there. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. now. hello from the bbc sport centre. manchester united manager, ruben amorim, says marcus rashford does want to play for the club, amid speculation the striker wants to leave old trafford. rashford's missed united's last three games after saying he was ready for a new challenge. after their 3—0 defeat to bournmouth, united are 13th in the premier league and go to wolves on boxing day. to wolves on boxing day. amorim says he wants rashford and all his players to meet the challenge ahead. like any other player, the best that they can be. if you have big talent, big performance and big responsibility and big engagement. push forward everybody in this moment. some guys have a big responsibility here because they are here for a long time. so this is maybe one of the lowest moments in our club. so we have to face it and be strong in this moment. that is what i want for every player on the team. a low moment for manchester united and manchester city. manchester city also play on thursday. they'

now on bbc news — the firing line. as conflicts rage across the globe...ry. just drive, drive, drive. drive, drive! we have to leave straight away. ..we celebrate the crucial work and unwavering commitment of freelance journalists and film—makers worldwide. often the only eyes on the ground... complete chaos. women and children are taking this place as a refuge. ..in challenging and dangerous places. they've got guns pointed to us. step outside, please. 0k~ _ who are the people who bring us these stories? how do they do it? and what drives them to the firing line? asjournalists, we know the importance of being where news breaks, of capturing the situation on the ground,

bbc news website and app. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. now sport with sarah mulkerrins. hello from the bbc sport centre. the big names in tennis are getting set for a fresh season, with the australian open just around the corner. 24—time grand slam winner novak djokovic hardly needs coaching at this stage, but he's enlisted the help of a familiar face. he'll be working with the recently retired andy murray ahead of the first slam of the season in melbourne which he'll be aiming to win for the 11th time. being on of the net is actually great for a change because, you know, he has been one of my greatest rivals and, you know, it was strange in a way for me to share all of these insights about how i feel on the court, sharing some of the secrets of what i'm going through, what i'm thinking about, how he sees my game. with somebody that has always been one of the top rivals. there are three more games in the english premier league on monday. among them manchester united taking on in form newcastle. it's not been the ideal start for ruben amorim,

the governor of new jersey has urged president biden to investigate. now on bbctrying to reach safety in the uk. behind every migrant, there are people smugglers.

around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. nowo. hello from the bbc sport centre. two games in the premier league are underway, with brighton verus brentford approaching half—time. after a3 minutes, it's 0—0 at the amex. brighton have had most of the chances, with julio enciso hitting the bar. meanwhile, it'sjust kicked off between arsenal and ipswich at the emirates. we will keep you up—to—date with both of those matches. manchester united head coach ruben amorim says he won't be protected from the sack if he fails to produce a winning team just because it was expensive to bring him to old trafford. he was booed at the final whistle of the 2—0 defeat by wolves at molineux on boxing day, leaving united iath in the league. however, sources inside the club say there is support for amorim despite his poor start. five defeats in his first ten games is the worst record of any new united manager since the 1930s. the manager of manchester united cannot be never, no matter what, comfortable. and i know the reason that i am in. so i know i

hugh schofield, bbc news, in avignon. nowthe united states today — the first time a politician has been appointed to the role for almost half a century. keir starmer is about to announce that lord mandelson, a former labour minister and european commissionerfor trade, has been given the role. he will take over as donald trump begins his second term as president. he was considered to be one of the frontrunners for the position. let�*s speak to former ambassador to the us, sir david manning, now director at gatehouse advisory partners, a geostrategy consultancy firm. thank you for being with us. was this the best choice, in your view, for a sensitive position?— your view, for a sensitive osition? ~ , position? the prime minister has chosen — position? the prime minister has chosen someone - position? the prime minister has chosen someone with . position? the prime minister- has chosen someone with immense experience in what is going to be a challenging four years. here we have a former minister who has been trade minister in br

now on bbc news — life at 50c: water crisis: south sudan: poisoned floods.climate change. i'm going to visit the north of my country, where hundreds of thousands of families have lost their homes in floods. too much rain. be careful. climate change, driven by fossil fuel use has increased the risk of flooding across the world. i've heard oil pollution in the area is making a bad situation even worse. the oil in the environment and in contact with the human being is a silent killer.

bbc sport website. more for you later. that is all for now. police in neway train. police said the man approached the woman on board the f train approaching coney island on sunday morning as she appeared to be sleeping and set fire to her clothes with a lighter. officers responded with fire extinguishers, but the victim died at the scene. cbs news correspondent naomi ruchim gave us this update from new york. this all happened around 7:30am yesterday as the train approached the last stop in brooklyn. that's when the suspect walked up to the woman, lit her on fire, using what appeared to be a lighter, and then stayed on scene, watching her burn from the train platform. the victim's clothes became fully engulfed in a matter of seconds, and police say there appeared to be no interaction between the victim and her attacker before she was lit on fire. nearby officers saw and smelled the smoke. they immediately ran over to investigate, used a fire extinguisher to put out those flames, but sadly, the woman died on that train. later in the day yesterday, a person of

bbc news. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news. nowello from the bbc sport centre. the england test captain, ben stokes, will be out for at least three months after tearing his hamstring. he picked up the injury in the final test agaist new zealand last week and scans have now revealed the extent of the tear and he will have surgery injanuary. it's the same hamstring he tore in august and that ruled him out for two months. stokes had already been omitted from the squad for the white ball tour to india next month and the champions trophy in february. england's next test isn't until the one off match against zimbabwe in may. fast bowler kate cross is in the england squad for the women's ashes which starts in australia next month even though she hasn't fully recovered from the back strain that limited her involvement on the recent tour to south africa. she's made the white ball and test squads for the series which features three one dayers, three t20s and a four—day test match. heather knight will captain across all formats. cross played

this is bbc news. now it's time for a look at today's sport with sarah mulkerrins.ntre. there are three more games in the premier league this monday. among them manchester united will take on, in—form newcastle. it's not been the ideal start for ruben amorim, who has won just four and lost five of his 10 games since taking over at old trafford, and they're just eight points clear of the relegation zone. he might have taken over at the end of the season, but instead joined the club midway through. iam here, i have to focus on the job. it is part of football to have these difficult moments. i already knew that is going to be tough. of course you expect to win more games, to have players with more confidence, to sell the idea and to work and to improve a lot of things. in this moment it's really hard. like i said, we have to survive, to have time and then to improve the team. liverpool winger mohamed salah says he is "far away" from signing a new deal at the premier league club. the egyptian contributed to liverpool's 5—0 thrashing of west ham on sunday by scoring his

but now they work to save lives in what has become another scene of horror. frances read, bbc news. our correspondent in berlin, damien mcguinness. real shock and horror, as frances was saying at what has happened. can you bring is up—to—date with the latest. what has happened. can you bring is up-to-date with the latest.- up-to-date with the latest. yeah, very distressing _ up-to-date with the latest. yeah, very distressing scenes _ up-to-date with the latest. yeah, very distressing scenes at - up-to-date with the latest. yeah, very distressing scenes at a - up-to-date with the latest. yeah, | very distressing scenes at a festive time, when usually people will be celebrating at that christmas market, as they do across germany. local officials have been saying two people at least have been killed, one of them a small child, and it's thought that as many as 70 people could be injured, possibly around 15 seriously. 0f could be injured, possibly around 15 seriously. of course that means this is an ongoing situation because you are talking about large amounts of people and i think that's

now on bbc news, time to look back at the year in sport.

you're live with bbc news. nowr the dictator, bashar al—assad, was ousted by islamist rebels, other countries are starting to establish how they will deal with the new interim regime. on his first visit to damascus since mr assad fled, the un envoy for syria said he supports lifting sanctions on the country. he urged justice, not revenge — and he called for increased and immediate aid. a delegation from qatar has also been in the syrian capital, meeting the transitional government. russia — which was a close backer of assad — has evacuated much of its diplomatic staff. the main rebel group, hts, remains a proscribed terrorist organisation in the uk. but the country's foreign secretary, david lammy, says british diplomats have established contact with hts, saying officials would deal with the group "where we have to". inside the country, syrians now face the challenge of overcoming the past, and rebuilding for the future, as our international editor jeremy bowen reports. driving through the gates of sednaya prison w

and around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. nowh gavin. hello from the bbc sport centre. the big names in tennis are getting set for a fresh season, little love lost between these two but all appears well now as they pair up to play doubles. theyjoined they pair up to play doubles. they joined forces to they pair up to play doubles. theyjoined forces to defeat their opponents. they even shared a chest bump as well and a war embrace on match point here. kyrgios is back on court after 18 months following a wrist ligament injuries. an djokovic is back in court with the help of the recently retired andy murray. being on of the net is actually great for a change because, you know, he has been one of my greatest rivals and, you know, it was strange in a way for me to share all of these insights about how i feel on the court, sharing some of the secrets of what i'm going through, what i'm thinking about, how he sees my game. with somebody that has always been one of the top rivals. football continues later with. .. there are three more ga